Patentable/Patents/US-8826162
US-8826162

Display input device capable of invoking workflow, image forming apparatus including the same, and display method for display input device capable of invoking workflow

PublishedSeptember 2, 2014
Assigneenot available in USPTO data we have
Inventorsnot available in USPTO data we have
Technical Abstract

Provided is a display input device including: an input portion for receiving: a designation input for designating a setting screen to be displayed by a program; a job execution start input for starting a job; and a re-invocation input for re-invoking the same program as the executed program; and a control portion for causing, when the program is re-invoked by means of the re-invocation input and the job execution start input, a display portion to display a setting screen that is subsequent, in display order of the program, to the setting screen for which the designation input has been made.

Patent Claims
19 claims

Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.

1

1. A display input device, comprising: a display portion for displaying a plurality of kinds of executable functions as setting items, and displaying setting screens for the setting items; a storage portion for storing: a workflow, which is a combination of setting items selected and registered in advance from among a plurality of the setting items, and is invoked to cause the display portion to sequentially display, in a wizard format, the setting screen for each of the setting items selected and registered in advance; and setting contents of the invoked workflow; an input portion for receiving at least a selection of the setting item and an input made with respect to the setting screen, and further receiving: a designation input for designating the setting screen to be displayed by the workflow; a job execution start input for starting a job based on the setting contents of the invoked workflow; and a re-invocation input for re-invoking, for setting of a next job, the same workflow as the workflow for which the job execution start input was made; and a control portion configured to: control displaying of the display portion; recognize the setting contents set by using the input portion; cause, after the re-invocation input is made, and when automatically re-invoking in a wizard format the same workflow as the workflow of a job executed as a result of the job execution start input, the display portion to start with displaying, in display order of the workflow, the setting screen for which the designation input has been made; and recognize, as for a setting screen that is not to be displayed, that the same setting as in the workflow executed immediately before is made.

2

2. A display input device according to claim 1 , wherein, when the workflow is re-invoked, the control portion causes the display portion to display all the setting screens starting with, in the display order, the setting screen for which the designation input has been made.

3

3. A display input device according to claim 1 , wherein, when the workflow is re-invoked, the control portion causes the display portion to display only the setting screen for which the designation input has been made.

4

4. A display input device according to claim 1 , wherein, when the workflow is re-invoked by means of the re-invocation input and the job execution start input in a state in which there is no setting screen for which the designation input has been made, the control portion causes the display portion to display the setting screens from the setting item that is first in the display order among the setting items included in a workflow.

5

5. A display input device according to claim 1 , wherein: the input portion receives a redoing input for redoing setting of the workflow currently invoked; and when the redoing input is made, the control portion causes the display portion to display the setting screen starting with, in the display order, the setting screen for which the designation input has been made.

6

6. A display input device according to claim 5 , wherein, when the redoing input is made in a state in which there is no setting screen for which the designation input has been made, the control portion causes the display portion to display the setting screen from the setting item that is first in the display order among the setting items included in a workflow.

7

7. A display input device according to claim 1 , wherein, in a state in which the workflow is not invoked: the storage portion stores the displayed setting screen and the display order; the input portion receives the designation input for designating the setting screen displayed by the selection of the setting item, and also receives a redoing input for performing resetting by displaying the setting screen displayed before; and when the redoing input is made, the display portion displays the setting screen starting with, in the display order, the setting screen for which the designation input has been made, in the display order stored in the storage portion.

8

8. An image forming apparatus, comprising the display input device according to claim 1 .

9

9. A display method for a display input device, comprising: displaying a plurality of kinds of executable functions as setting items; displaying setting screens for the setting items; storing: a workflow, which is a combination of setting items selected and registered in advance from among a plurality of the setting items, and is invoked to cause a display portion to sequentially display, in a wizard format, the setting screen for each of the setting items selected and registered in advance; and setting contents of the invoked workflow; receiving a selection of the setting item and an input made with respect to the setting screen; receiving a designation input for designating the setting screen to be displayed by the workflow; receiving a job execution start input for starting a job based on the setting contents of the invoked workflow; receiving a re-invocation input for re-invoking, for setting of a next job, the same workflow as the workflow for which the job execution start input was made; displaying, when the workflow is re-invoked by means of the re-invocation input and the job execution start input, as the starting setting screen in display order of the workflow, the setting screen for which the designation input has been made; and assuming, as for a setting screen that is not to be displayed, that the same setting as in the workflow executed immediately before is made.

10

10. A display method for a display input device according to claim 9 , further comprising displaying, when the workflow is re-invoked, all the setting screens starting with, in the display order, the setting screen for which the designation input has been made.

11

11. A display method for a display input device according to claim 9 , further comprising displaying, when the workflow is re-invoked, only the setting screen for which the designation input has been made.

12

12. A display method for a display input device according to claim 9 , further comprising displaying, when the workflow is re-invoked by means of the re-invocation input and the job execution start input in a state in which there is no setting screen for which the designation input has been made, the setting screens from the setting item that is first in the display order among the setting items included in a workflow.

13

13. A display method for a display input device according to claim 9 , further comprising: receiving a redoing input for redoing setting of the workflow currently invoked; and displaying, when the redoing input is made, the setting screen starting with, in the display order, the setting screen for which the designation input has been made.

14

14. A display method for a display input device according to claim 13 , further comprising displaying, when the redoing input is made in a state in which there is no setting screen for which the designation input has been made, the setting screen from the setting item that is first in the display order among the setting items included in a workflow.

15

15. A display method for a display input device according to claim 9 , further comprising, in a state in which the workflow is not invoked: storing the displayed setting screen and the display order; receiving the designation input for designating the setting screen displayed by the selection of the setting item; receiving a redoing input for performing resetting by displaying the setting screen displayed before; and displaying, when the redoing input is made, the setting screen starting with, in the display order, the setting screen for which the designation input has been made, in the stored display order.

16

16. A display input device according to claim 1 , wherein the control portion is configured, when automatically re-invoking the same workflow as the workflow of a job executed as a result of the job execution start input, to cause the display portion to display, in the display order of the workflow, setting screens subsequent to the setting screen on which a designation input was made during execution of the job executed as a result of the job execution start input.

17

17. A display method for a display input device according to claim 9 , further comprising, when automatically re-invoking the same workflow as the workflow of a job executed as a result of the job execution start input, displaying on the display portion, in the display order of the workflow, setting screens subsequent to the setting screen on which a designation input was made during execution of the job executed as a result of the job execution start input.

18

18. A display input device, comprising: a display portion for displaying setting screens; a storage portion for storing: as a workflow, a combination of predetermined setting items selected in advance from a plurality of available setting items, which when invoked will cause the display portion to sequentially display, in a wizard format, an individual setting screen for each predetermined setting item; and setting contents of the workflow when invoked; an input portion for selecting the predetermined setting items and receiving a setting input with respect to a setting screen, the input portion further configured to receive: a designation input for designating a setting screen in the workflow as a start screen in a re-invoked occurrence of the workflow; a job execution start input for starting a job based on the setting contents of the invoked workflow; and a re-invocation input for re-invoking, in preparation for a subsequent job, the same workflow that receives the job execution start input to start a present job; and a control portion configured to: recognize setting contents stored in the storage portion; control the display portion—after the re-invocation input is made, and when re-invoking in preparation for a subsequent job, in a wizard format, the same workflow that receives the job execution start input to start the present job—to skip to and display, as a first setting screen in the display order of the workflow, a setting screen that was designated as a start screen by a designation input; and apply, for any setting screen skipped when re-invoking the same workflow, the same setting as applied in the previous invocation of the same workflow, as recognized from the setting contents.

19

19. A display input device according to claim 18 , wherein the control portion is configured, when re-invoking in preparation for a subsequent job the same workflow that receives the job execution start input to start the present job, to cause the display portion to display, in the display order of the workflow, setting screens subsequent to the setting screen that was designated as a start screen by a designation input.

Classification Codes (CPC)

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Patent Metadata

Filing Date

August 2, 2011

Publication Date

September 2, 2014

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Cite as: Patentable. “Display input device capable of invoking workflow, image forming apparatus including the same, and display method for display input device capable of invoking workflow” (US-8826162). https://patentable.app/patents/US-8826162

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